adventures and complaints

Main menu

Post navigation

The Captive Prince Trilogy by C. S. Pacat

These were incredibly captivating. I absolutely could not put down. I started reading these on vacation, and it was a great brain-break. I stayed up too late one night finishing the first book, I read the second on my first flight and waiting in an airport, and then the third on my flight home, halfway through as I got home, keeping me awake till three in the morning. When I woke up in the morning I was so happy to lie in my own bed with my cat and finish the series.

They’re basically ridiculous? They’re incredibly over the top, but it works. The basic premise is that there are these two countries that really don’t get along, and two princes from each country, and one is overthrown by his brother and given as a slave to the other, who doesn’t know that his good looking new slave is actually a prince from an enemy nation. That’s the start of it anyway, then so much else happens, but the whole power dynamics from that is present throughout.

That definitely isn’t for everyone, but it’s really well done. The world building felt incredibly solid. The political intrigue was compelling and made sense. The storytelling was suspenseful and well done.

But really, it’s all about the romance. There’s something so good about a story where you KNOW where it’s going, you KNOW they’re going to get there eventually, but first you have to suffer through SO MUCH unfulfilled sexual tension, SO MUCH heavy tense flirting, so much almost but not quite!!!! It’s painful in the best way, which makes the eventual resolution even better. Especially in a setup like this, where you know on some level it’s a bad idea, but also the right idea, it’s going to happen.

It was one of the most compelling thing I’ve read this summer, so painfully lushly romantic, with a very distinct point of view. The power dynamics are super interesting, and the feelings!!!! It was so much.